What is the difference between Miles&More miles, Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points in the Lufthansa group loyalty program

Starting in 2026, the Miles & More program will officially become the flagship loyalty program for Italian frequent flyers.

With ITA Airways joining the Lufthansa Group, all of the Italian airline's customers will fly by accumulating Miles & More miles and will be able to aspire to the German group's elite statuses.

Here then is a clear and up-to-date guide to understanding how points work in the Miles & More loyalty program, but more importantly what they are Points, Qualifying Points e HON Circle Points, and how to avoid losing pieces along the way.

Miles & More miles: the main currency of the program

Le Miles & More Miles (the "award miles") are the main currency of the program and are used to redeem award flights, upgrades, hotel stays and products from the catalog. They are earned by flying with Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, LOT, Eurowings And all the Star Alliance partner airlines and of course ITA Airways.

The amount of miles earned depends on the fare, booking class, and carrier.

• If you book a flight directly with Lufthansa Group, the calculation is based on the amount spent (euros multiplied by a status-dependent factor)
• If you fly with Star Alliance partners instead, the calculation is based on distance and fare class, and to know how many miles you will accumulate i suggest you use wheretocredit

The three types of status points: Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points

Since 2024 Miles & More has completely renewed the qualification system to elite statuses. Today there are three distinct types of points:

Points: are earned on all flights operated by Star Alliance or Miles & More partner airlines. They are used to earn Frequent Traveller, Senator and HON Circle statuses. They are the "foundation" of the program.

Qualifying Points: they are earned only on flights operated by the Lufthansa Group and direct partners (Austrian, SWISS, Brussels, Eurowings, Discover Airlines). They are essential to qualify for Frequent Traveller e Senator.

HON Circle Points: they are earned solely in Business or First Class on flights operated by the Lufthansa Group and direct partners. They serve to achieve the exclusive status HON Circle Member.

ITA Airways although not yet part of the LH group or even a Star Alliance carrier is equated with the first group, this means that it accumulates to both General Points and Qualifying Points, and HON Circle Points.

The program has four main status levels

• Member: is the basic level, with mileage accumulation and access to promotions, but no specific benefits on flights.
• Frequent Traveller (FTL): is obtained with 650 Points in a year (Half of which must be Q). Provides access to Lufthansa Group business lounges, priority check-in e extra baggage.
• Senator: is reached by 2,000 Points (Half of which must be Q). Includes access to Senator and Star Alliance Gold lounges, more flexible upgrade awards, and priority on waitlist and standby.
• HON Circle Member: is the top of the program, reached by 6,000 HON Circle Points in one year. In addition to Senator benefits, it guarantees personalized assistance, limousine service and exclusive access to First Class lounges.

All statuses are valid for one calendar year and are automatically renewed when the corresponding threshold is reached. So if you level up in March, you will have the status for the remainder of the year, plus the next 12 months.

LH also has a counting system for achieving lifetime statuses: FTL and Senator Lifetime

The expiration of miles and points

Le award miles expire after 36 months from the date of crediting, to the end of the corresponding quarter. Example: miles earned in January 2025 will expire on March 31, 2028.

However, there are ways to avoid the expiration of miles:

• If you own one Frequent Traveller, Senator or HON Circle status, your miles do not expire.
• If you have a Miles & More credit card active, the miles always remain valid as long as the card remains active.

I Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points. instead do not expire but they are reset at the end of the year, as they are only used for annual status calculation and it does not matter whether they were accumulated in January or December, January 1 of each year we start from scratch.

Why it pays to learn the rules of Miles & More now

With the arrival of ITA Airways into the Lufthansa world, Miles & More will also become the loyalty program of Italian frequent flyers. For those who frequently fly to Europe or intercontinental, learning today how points, statuses, and qualification thresholds work means arriving prepared and taking advantage right away.

In addition, thanks to the Star Alliance network, those who earn Miles & More miles will have access to over 40 partner companies and will be able to use the miles for flights around the world. In other words, from 2026, the future of Italian frequent flyers will speak German - But it pays to start studying the language of Miles & More as early as now.